HER
****
Director: Spike Jonze
Screenwriter: Spike Jonze
Principal cast:
Joaquin Phoenix
Scarlett Johansson
Amy Adams
Chris Pratt
Rooney Mara
Kristen Wiig
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 126 mins.
Australian release date: 16 March 2014
Spike Jonze’s, Her, is about love and communication. Not communication in the current sense but in the near future, when technology has taken a complete hold and human beings barely relate to one another physically. It’s a scary concept but is it destined to be our future? Next time you are in a public place check it out for yourself, for there are often more people communicating on their mobile phones than with their flesh and blood companions. But, more optimistically, the film is also an examination of love and the process of falling in love, and how communication plays its part in that, too.
We are introduced to Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a writer employed by Hand-written Letters.com, who composes deeply personal letters for people he’s never met. Still heartbroken after his recently failed marriage, Theodore purchases an operating system (OS), an artificial intelligence who calls herself Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and who rapidly becomes part of his life, quickly changing from help-mate to bed-mate. He falls headily in love and the relationship appears to be as ‘real’ as possible, considering the circumstances. In Alan Watts’s (the influential British/American philosopher popularised by the 1970s counter-culture) book, The Wisdom of Insecurity - A Message for an Age of Anxiety, he posed the question “What is reality?” In Her, Spike Jonze makes an oblique reference to this great man, playing with this concept of ‘reality’ when he further develops the idea of virtual relationships and brings both Samantha and Watts together, both computerised constructs that are capable of forming emotional bonds… and who ‘evolve’ in leaps and bounds. This introduces a concept at the core of Jonze’s script - he says “We’re changing and growing all the time, so the question is, how do you allow [your partners] the freedom to be who they are, moment to moment, day to day and year to year? Who are they going to become, and can you still love them?”
Set in Los Angeles (many of the exteriors are actually shot in Shanghai), K. K. Barrett’s production design portrays a futuristic model of stark interiors that one imagines could easily become the norm. Casey Storm’s costumes feature predominately high-waisted trousers on the men, showcasing a complete turn-around to the low-slung look that exists today. Both worked with Jonze on his previous films as did editor, Eric Zumbrunnen. The scenes are perfectly captured by Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography, aided by the artful use of muted colours and atmospheric lighting.
This is a complex story and after watching the TV series Black Mirror, I couldn’t help but wonder if Jonze had got his idea from one of Charlie Brooker’s highly original stories about our looming cyber future. But it seems Jonze conceived his idea some 10 years ago when he first came across the concept of instant-messaging with an artificial intelligence. Her could have come across as a far-fetched, cynical look into the not too distant future but, with another pitch-perfect performance from Phoenix, backed up by Johansson’s likeable, sexy character and ably supported by a down-played gal-pal role from Amy Adams, this is a winner. Her may not get all the accolades it deserves, although it did garner Best Screenplay at the recent Golden Globes, but it has to be one of the most interesting films currently in release.
Screenwriter: Spike Jonze
Principal cast:
Joaquin Phoenix
Scarlett Johansson
Amy Adams
Chris Pratt
Rooney Mara
Kristen Wiig
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 126 mins.
Australian release date: 16 March 2014
Spike Jonze’s, Her, is about love and communication. Not communication in the current sense but in the near future, when technology has taken a complete hold and human beings barely relate to one another physically. It’s a scary concept but is it destined to be our future? Next time you are in a public place check it out for yourself, for there are often more people communicating on their mobile phones than with their flesh and blood companions. But, more optimistically, the film is also an examination of love and the process of falling in love, and how communication plays its part in that, too.
We are introduced to Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), a writer employed by Hand-written Letters.com, who composes deeply personal letters for people he’s never met. Still heartbroken after his recently failed marriage, Theodore purchases an operating system (OS), an artificial intelligence who calls herself Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and who rapidly becomes part of his life, quickly changing from help-mate to bed-mate. He falls headily in love and the relationship appears to be as ‘real’ as possible, considering the circumstances. In Alan Watts’s (the influential British/American philosopher popularised by the 1970s counter-culture) book, The Wisdom of Insecurity - A Message for an Age of Anxiety, he posed the question “What is reality?” In Her, Spike Jonze makes an oblique reference to this great man, playing with this concept of ‘reality’ when he further develops the idea of virtual relationships and brings both Samantha and Watts together, both computerised constructs that are capable of forming emotional bonds… and who ‘evolve’ in leaps and bounds. This introduces a concept at the core of Jonze’s script - he says “We’re changing and growing all the time, so the question is, how do you allow [your partners] the freedom to be who they are, moment to moment, day to day and year to year? Who are they going to become, and can you still love them?”
Set in Los Angeles (many of the exteriors are actually shot in Shanghai), K. K. Barrett’s production design portrays a futuristic model of stark interiors that one imagines could easily become the norm. Casey Storm’s costumes feature predominately high-waisted trousers on the men, showcasing a complete turn-around to the low-slung look that exists today. Both worked with Jonze on his previous films as did editor, Eric Zumbrunnen. The scenes are perfectly captured by Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography, aided by the artful use of muted colours and atmospheric lighting.
This is a complex story and after watching the TV series Black Mirror, I couldn’t help but wonder if Jonze had got his idea from one of Charlie Brooker’s highly original stories about our looming cyber future. But it seems Jonze conceived his idea some 10 years ago when he first came across the concept of instant-messaging with an artificial intelligence. Her could have come across as a far-fetched, cynical look into the not too distant future but, with another pitch-perfect performance from Phoenix, backed up by Johansson’s likeable, sexy character and ably supported by a down-played gal-pal role from Amy Adams, this is a winner. Her may not get all the accolades it deserves, although it did garner Best Screenplay at the recent Golden Globes, but it has to be one of the most interesting films currently in release.